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The oil industry incentivises the development of carbon-capturing tech, but researchers say this will not reduce emissions to low enough levels.

The oil industry incentivises the development of carbon-capturing tech, but researchers say this will not reduce emissions to low enough levels.

Carbon dioxide can be used to extract oil, accelerating the development carbon-capturing technologies and limiting climate change. However, in a new analysis researchers say this will not be enough to reduce emissions to the level recommended by climate scientists.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the process of trapping carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel power plants and burying it safely underground. By preventing carbon dioxide from reaching the atmosphere, CCS can help slow global warming and is recognized as a key technology to meet the Paris Climate Agreement.

CCS has the potential to stave off dangerous levels of global warming, but its deployment is not yet widespread. However, in a new study published today in Energy & Environmental Science, researchers from Imperial College London and Stanford University suggest the oil industry may play a surprising role in accelerating CCS’s development.